Who we are

Our vision, mission and more…

OUR VISION

UWCM will be among the most active advocates for a gender-equal society and for the rights of girls and women to an education of quality and life-long learning.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to harness the expertise, the competence and knowledge of all UWCM members in order to promote:

Social interaction, social responsibility and growth of women in all areas of life”

Social interactions– Through local, national and international networks, we foster the development of friendships and collaboration between women eager to share experiences and interests.

Social responsibility – Through links with CFUW and GWI, we advocate locally, nationally and internationally for a gender-equal society where women and girls enjoy economic empowerment through the pursuit of, and access to, quality education.

Growth – Through our belief in the importance of lifelong education, we enable our members to develop and use their expertise to become agents of change by influencing policies that improve the status of women and girls in all areas of life.

OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS

We value our members and we foster mutual understanding, caring and friendship.

We believe in policies that are gender responsive and based on the full respect of human rights.

We believe that access to an education of quality and life-long learning are the basis for empowering girls and women around the world.

We believe in an inclusive and gender-equal society, where people who are vulnerable are empowered and enjoy a violence-free environment that allows them to achieve their full potential and build a better future.

Based on these values and beliefs:

We support girls’ and women’s education by providing scholarships

We advocate for policies that foster gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment.

GOVERNANCE

The UWCM has adopted a community – based governance model, whose structures stem from a collective approach and a participative leadership.

We use the UN Sustainable Agenda as frame of reference for our actions. We integrate ESG criteria in our portfolio management. Our interventions are outcome-based. We use the UN Sustainable Agenda as frame of reference for our actions.

We focus on:

Membership and members’ satisfaction

Advocacy and community outreach

Budget vigilance (fiscal monitoring) and scholarship attribution

Collaboration-building locally, nationally and internationally.

Our strategic priorities are:

To build a strong and diverse membership that is representative of Montreal

To assure the Club sustainability through capacity building and collaboration

To reinforce advocacy through high-impact projects.

Board of Directors

The administration and management of Club operations are assured by a Board of Directors ( the Board) whose members are elected with a two-year mandate. The roles and responsibilities of Board members, as well as their standards of care, are as prescribed by UWCM Bylaws.

Board Meetings

The Board of Directors usually meets the second Wednesday of each month. Minutes are archived and discussion of main points are reported in UWCM monthly Newsletter.

The Annual General Meeting of members is held within six (6) months of the Club’s year end. For 2018, the AGM is scheduled for May 23rd, 2018)

ACCOUNTABILITY

UWCM is committed to objective and continuous internal assessment as means to improve the effectiveness of its operations and activities’ outcomes.

We strengthen our accountability by conducting internal quality audits, continuous evaluation of activities, member satisfaction survey, feedback from members and partners, external financial audits and by seeking advice from former UWCM presidents.

Due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions – and doing our part to “flatten the curve” – all scheduled in-person events have been suspended. Our May 20 AGM will take place virtually. Details will come later. Please stay home, practice social distancing, and refer to government directives.